England head coach Thomas Tuchel has defended his tactical decisions following the team’s painful World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina.

Speaking ahead of England’s third-place play-off against France in Miami, Tuchel said he was willing to accept responsibility for the result if people needed someone to blame.

However, the German coach insisted he had no regrets about the decisions he made during the match.

England had been just minutes away from reaching their first men’s World Cup final in 60 years after taking a 1-0 lead.

But Argentina fought back to win 2-1 in the closing stages, with England’s defence increasingly forced deeper under sustained pressure from Lionel Messi and the reigning world champions.

Tuchel said the defeat had left a lasting mark on the team, describing it as a “scar we carry now”.

Despite the disappointment, he said the players and coaching staff were the people who felt the pain of the defeat most deeply.